Past Reflections: Part Nine

There was silence on the hill in front of our house as I faced Tyne, feeling determined and confident. Tyne, however, looked exhausted but nonetheless determined to face me. When I looked at her, inhabiting the body of one of her descendants, I felt a twinge of sorrow for her. She was nothing but a meaningless grudge, trapped inside a soul. Because of the grudge Tyne held, she could not let go of what had become of her. She could not move on because she believed she had been betrayed.

      I tried to reason with myself. I tried to tell myself that she was the bad guy, she had hurt my family, and everyone around me. She didn't care if I died or not. But, under these thoughts, I could not help feeling bad for her. She thought that she had been betrayed. Wanting revenge was an ordinary feeling. But I could not let her have it.

      Before I attacked, something nagged at the back of my mind. I glanced down to my arm, where a long, crimson colored line stood out against my silver skin.

      "If you defeat her in hate, in rage... if you kill her cruelly... then the one that matters the most to you at that time will also die."

      I hated MirrorEyes, at that moment. He had abandoned me at the crucial time, when he could have made himself useful instead of vanishing. He could have fought the sister he had once had. He could have changed her mind... or something. I glanced back to the Hissi and felt my throat tighten. I had told MirrorEyes that I had never wanted to do this again. And yet, I was placed in the situation again. And I'm supposed... I thought sadly, ...to give her a passionate death, without hate or anything like that. How am I supposed to do that?

      Tyne suddenly threw her paws together, mumbling something under her breath quickly, and she vanished. The sky darkened, and the area around me was surrounded in shadows. My senses reeled as I turned around time and time again, trying to find my enemy and keep myself from becoming dizzy at the same time. Shadows danced across the ground, jabbing towards me and dancing away again. I could feel myself panicking, and I inhaled, trying to force myself to calm down.

      I suddenly felt a searing pain running down my back and I jumped forward, unsure of whether or not I had dodged the full attack. A long, but shallow cut ran down my back in a slanted direction.

      "I've never been too fond of that attack," a voice said, and Tyne emerged from seemingly nowhere. I panted as I watched her. She seemed far more confident, in sharp contrast to the confidence that I had suddenly lost. "Shadow Blade... it gives the enemy a bit of pain before the real attack, making them believe that they've already been cut. But..." She looked at me, her face passive. "...you caught on a little too quickly."

      Unsure of how exactly to go about fighting Tyne, with no weapons, I searched my mind for the vast reservoir of power that MirrorEyes had left me. The power saw the purpose for my using it, and it seemed like the storage was unlocked. Almost instantly, my mind channeled the power to my paw and the limb flew forward, making a cross-shaped gesture that I had never seen before. A word came to my mind, and, almost knowing that I had to use it, I hissed, "Break."

      The ground in front of me split and started at an arrow's speed towards Tyne. The Zafara danced off to the side, avoiding it, but her eyes were wide. She seemed to scan my entire body for a moment. Then her eyes rested on my arm, which bore the scar. Then she looked enraged.

      "He's left you, hasn't he," she hissed, her words laced with rage. "He's abandoned the fight." I was about to protest, but she continued. "That last attack... was issued with the skill of an amateur. MirrorEyes could have used it at a much faster speed. And that scar on your arm..." Her paws clenched, and I felt the air get suffocatingly thick. "...MirrorEyes would never curse his own host, unless he knew that he wasn't going to be coming back."

      I felt irritation swell up in my chest. "So?" I snapped. Tyne seemed a bit surprised by my angry reaction. "It doesn't matter if I'm cursed, or whatever... Or that your stupid Draik left me!" The power flew to my paws again, this time in a far larger amount, and another word entered my consciousness: "Rage!"

      This time, more power shot from my paws, and in a trickier form. A small ring of light formed around me, then vanished. I saw five sparks of light forming pointed edges and lunging towards Tyne with even greater speed. The Zafara grabbed her dagger and slashed at the first and second one, but the third, forth, and fifth, caught her upper arms and slashed the skin. Tyne panted heavily as she gripped her arm and glared at me.

      "What?" I taunted angrily. "Don't you remember that attack? MirrorEyes should have used that one a lot! Or did I just make it up on the spot?" Tyne's only answer was a glare, which fed my anger all the more. The monster in the back of my mind seemed to be fueling the attack, too, but would not come out and take dominance. It knew that I would be able to easily force it back.

      "You are a stupid boy," Tyne suddenly hissed, a small smile curling on her lips. "All talk and no action." Then, again, she vanished. I knew that she was hiding, using the same sense-destroying technique she had used earlier. But she would, most likely, neglect following through with the Shadow Blade. That attack had already failed.

      Shadows danced in an out of my area, as they had done before. I felt the suffocating air center around an area to the right of me, and I lashed out in the direction with a blast of uncontrolled power. A body fell limply to the ground, and, to my surprise, I realized that it was Tyne's. I stared in disbelief at her still form, with a little bit of blood trickling from her mouth. I hadn't... had I? It had been far too easy.

      Suddenly, with a terrible, searing pain, the mark on my arm lit up. I heard a great, booming voice in my head and I fell to my knees, clutching it. Then I knew. I had broken the rules. I had killed Tyne in rage and without any feelings of sympathy.

      And because you have done so...

      I suddenly saw the vision of my family, looking on to see a dark void in front of them.

      The ones you are closest to will die.

      Hiterkuna suddenly looked shocked, then she doubled over, hacking. Mesbeto and Yubioke looked at her with concern, but they were soon overcome by the pain, too. I looked on in horror as my family soon fell, one by one, onto the grass. I wanted to scream.

      "Bad move, boy!"

      I was jolted from the image when another searing pain exploded in my back, and I jumped away again. Another thin cut went diagonally down my back, this one in an opposite direction. It looked like there was a giant X formed on my back.

      Panting, I whirled my head around in confusion. It had been... her voice. Tyne's. She wasn't dead. But...

      Quickly, I glanced over to the body in front of me. Then my eyes widened as the fur slowly began to mat down into a single, solid form, making her look more metal than living. The facial features vanished, and the small trickle of blood evaporated, not even leaving a mark. Tyne was suddenly in front of me, a small smirk on her face.

      "A Shadow Doll," she said, glancing in the direction of the manifestation that she had made of herself. "That's why you felt the darkness surrounding that area... these dolls are made purely from that element. I am, actually, surprised that you felt the darkness at all. I am rewarded for not underestimating you."

      "You could have killed me, right there," I said, my voice filled with confusion. "But instead... you used the same attack as last time." Tyne nodded.

      "I wanted to see what the effects of that curse was," Tyne said simply. "I didn't get all the details. So... I used my doll to get an answer. And, actually, I'm surprised. MirrorEyes would risk killing his own brother and sisters. He truly feels nothing for any of you."

      "Shut up!" I snapped angrily. "You should talk - he told me to end this! He told me to finish you! How does that feel?!"

      Tyne's passive expression did not change. "It tells me that he is the same pet he was when he abandoned me, all those years ago. When he betrayed me, because he felt threatened."

      "You're stupid," I said, feeling pathetic. "...And you're a hypocrite. You said that I'm all talk and no action... you're just the same as me, then."

      Tyne rushed towards me, this time allowing me to at least see her. I gathered a limited amount of power into my paw and punched it at her. She easily ducked and slashed at me with her dagger. The blade would have slashed my stomach, but I back up quickly, nearly falling over. The moment I had taken to stumble cost me, for when I looked up again, Tyne was gone.

      Suddenly, the area was pitch-black. Before it had been dark, but now, it was like I had closed my eyes in a small, dark space. Every one of my senses seemed to have been destroyed. The lack of noise confused my ears, and my eyes were useless due to the blackness.

      The one sense that did stay with me was instinct, and it told me to be terrified. The instinct, the vital piece of life, that of which had been discarded by many pets a long time ago. I followed instinct, and I was scared. Tyne's presence seemed to be all around me, and I was at its mercy. All it had to do was strike and I would be dead.

      Wait, I told myself, forcing myself to be calm. MirrorEyes and Tyne were a perfect fighting team. Meaning... there should be a counter that he used against this attack, just to make sure that he didn't lose his mind when Tyne conducted this on their enemies. Meaning...

      Inhaling deeply, I drew power from the reservoir. This time, however, I channeled it to my eyes. There was a small burning sensation, but otherwise, I could see clearly. Everything in my vision was a silvery color, but I could distinctly tell one shade from the other. I turned to see Tyne coming down at me. She had used the cuts on my back to sense my position.

      I was tired of fighting her. I didn't want to kill her. I had no personal grudge against her. These thoughts ran through my head as I turned, exhausted. I didn't know how to attack. But I needed to live. I needed to see my sisters and brother again.

      I wasn't going to kill her.

      I wasn't going to be MirrorEyes's stupid puppet.

      Filled with a calm confidence, I brought more of the power to my paws. But, this time, I would not use it to hurt her. I would find a way to... hopefully... defend the both of us. The magic, in its strange way, knew that I would not kill her, and it held back. But I forced it out, using all the energy in my body to do so. Tyne seemed to move in slow motion as I grabbed at her paws, one which held the deadly blade, the other which was poised to defend herself. The power that I had inherited from MirrorEyes flowed through me. I inhaled and exhaled sharply with the strain of keeping the power out. I held her paws, refusing to let go, as she struggled against my grip.

      "Just... stop it, will you."

      Power was released in a vast amount, knocking her backwards. The rest of the power, sensing her wall of darkness, flew into the atmosphere and there was a clearing. I suddenly felt drained, and I staggered, landing on my knees. My breathing came out in gulps and gasps. I looked to the side to see Hiterkuna, Yubioke, and Mesbeto, each watching me with wide eyes. I felt a sigh of relief escape from my mouth. They were all right.

      The white Shoyru was the first to notice Tyne's condition. He ran forward immediately, helping his mistress to stand. Tyne waved him away with a paw, and attempted to move by herself, but she collapsed. The Shoyru rushed to her side.

      "I've... used all this whelp's energy," she said, with a note of disappointment in her voice. "If I had my own body... my real body... I would have won."

      I stared at Tyne for a moment. Her arms were only wounded slightly, but the last attack seemed to have drained her energy. It was almost as if it had just sapped her energy; not left her with wounds. Finally, I said, "That's the thing. You don't have your own body, because by all rights, you should be..."

      "What?" Tyne sneered. "Dead?"

      I flinched, knowing that I would have finished it with those exact words. The fact that she so easily knew my thoughts meant I was like her.

      "You shouldn't be so cocky," I said, trying to give myself confidence. "You can't even stand. I've won."

      "You are a fool," Tyne said simply. "You can hardly stand, yourself. And just because this body is exhausted does not mean that I can't return."

      I was silent. I knew that she meant it, and sooner or later, she would come after me. This was hardly the dramatic ending I had expected. But, neither of us were in condition to fight. My limbs felt like lead as I tried, miserably, to move them. I knew that, despite my wishes, the fact that we would fight again in the future was inevitable.

      "M'lady," the white Shoyru hissed, glancing over to Yubioke and the others. "Surely we could...?"

      Tyne was silent for a moment. She seemed to be pondering over the choice of whether or not she could have them killed. I felt determination to protect them swelling up in me, and I staggered to my feet. Tyne rose an eyebrow and the white Shoyru suppressed a snicker.

      "I'm... n-not going to... let you..." I croaked, knowing that I looked pathetic. Yubioke, looking enraged, simply strode right up to me. With the usual lack of gentle touch she possessed, she shoved me out of the way, placing herself between me and Tyne.

      "I'm ready to go, whenever you are," she challenged, and we all knew that she meant it. "Mesbeto, make sure that Hiterkuna and the idiot get out of here safely."

      The Shoyru took a fighting stance. "You won't lay a finger on my mistress."

      Yubioke sneered. "Ah, so sentimental. I don't mind having to take down a weasel along with his boss."

      "Stop," I choked. "Please."

      Yubioke stared at me quizzically. "Did you just say something, idiot?"

      "You... can't."

      "And what do you intend to do to stop me?"

      Hiterkuna dashed forward, and Mesbeto, hardly following his job as the babysitter, did likewise. The young Christmas Zafara tugged on Yubioke's arm. "Please don't, big sister," she said, whimpering.

      Yubioke glared at the white Shoyru and Tyne. She seemed to want nothing more than their demise. I admired Yubioke for her truthfulness with herself. She wasn't scared of admitting her true feelings.

      The Shoyru gripped his mistress around the side, helping her up. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he withheld the urge. Instead, he glared angrily at me. "Until we meet again, M-.... boy."

      I said nothing, feeling empty as the Shoyru mumbled strange words under his breath. Tyne extended a paw, keeping her eyes on me the entire time. Her paw found a shadow, and the two vanished. I looked down at the ground, feeling confused and miserable. Everything was so messed up. It was beyond my ability to mend.

      "You idiot!"

      Yubioke's paw descended in a violent punch, and I felt myself rolling helplessly over in the grass. A large, burning bruise remained on my cheek. Hiterkuna looked very concerned and Mesbeto looked stressed, but Yubioke's violence had yet to subside. "We could have ended it right there! Why did you tell me to stop? I could've... I could've..."

      "You couldn't have," I said, feeling my throat tighten. "It's my job now, and I won't let any of you do it except for me. If you've got a problem with that..." I staggered to my feet, facing my older sister. "...Live with it."

      Yubioke seemed to want to hit me again, but I knew she wouldn't. She had been unable to kill Tyne. I had been unable to. My powers of persuasion had been very weak, and, if she had been in top condition and less confused about the whole situation altogether, she would have done it. But she would have regretted it later.

      "They'll be following us," Mesbeto said. "Where will we go...?"

      Hiterkuna raised a paw. "Why not go to where MirrorEyes and the others lived?"

      We all stared at her, eyes wide. It had never occurred to me that we could transcend the boundaries between our world and MirrorEyes's...

      Mesbeto stood, already looking energized. "I hear they found a new place in Faerieland, dude. It's called Altamawhatsit or something like that."

      "Altador, you pinhead," Yubioke snapped, but I could not help detecting a small smile on her face. Hiterkuna's smile faded as soon as she saw my back, then, mumbling worried phrases under her breath, she searched desperately for something to cover it with.

      As we trudged away from our house, I felt a strange sense of comfort. I had my family here with me, as they had always been. To me, this had been enough of an adventure for a lifetime. But for them, it was just beginning. They had many more experiences to go through, many more troubles to face. I almost felt guilty as I thought this. But the sight of their faces, eager for adventure, banished my worries for the moment.

      I knew, with a mixed feeling of both happiness and foreboding, that the adventure was just beginning for me, too.

The End